Brighter Future
by Teefa and Co
Summary: Post ToD2 KylexReala one shot. The two spend some time together back at the orphanage. Fluff abound.


**Brighter Future**

"Thanks for dessert, Mom!" exclaimed Kyle, "I love when you make cherry pie. And with a nice big scoop of vanilla ice cream…extra delicious."

"Oh Kyle. You don't have to compliment me. I do it because I care about you," said Rutee.

That caused the young boy to smile. He adored his mother and father so much; they were the heroes who saved the world and also wonderful parents. Both Stahn and Rutee had worked hard to protect the population of the Dunamis Orphanage, as well as Kyle and his younger sister. And through it all, they still loved each other dearly; he could see it when they looked at each other across the room.

The teenager thought, 'I hope I can be just as kind and caring as my parents one day. And that I can have a relationship as strong as theirs.' His eyes began trailing to the seat right next to him, where Reala was slowly and elegantly eating her own dessert.

When their eyes met, the girl blushed and could feel herself growing warmer. "Kyle…your mother is a good cook. I also thank you for the delicious pie, Rutee-san."

"You're such a sweet girl, Reala," replied the former heroine, "I'm just glad my son brought home someone like you. Sometimes, I worry he's going to get himself into trouble, but I know you'll be the type to not only get him out, but be able to do it without hurting his feelings."

"Yeah. She's definitely a lot nicer than you were when we first met!" remarked Stahn. That comment earned him a playful bop on the head; she may have softened up, but Rutee still got mad at him.

Kyle and Reala both sweatdropped; the two of them had an interesting way of showing they cared. Finished with dessert, they excused themselves and went to sit on the bench outside and look at the stars. Knowing that the nights were a little chilly, Kyle brought a small blanket out with them and wrapped it around both his and Reala's shoulders, pulling them together.

The girl whispered, "Thank you. I always knew you were sweet; it shone from your eyes from the very first day we met in the other timeline, even though I didn't think you'd be able to help me back then. And when we joined together to form a team, you never stopped being nice to me, even when I got mad about something that was going on. You never wanted to stop helping me out…even when your own life was put on the line and you could have run away and stayed safe."

He wrapped his arm around her. "Reala, I couldn't live with myself if anyone I cared about was in danger. Even if they were just an acquaintance, I would protect them with my very life. For the girl I love more than anything in the world…I'd fight twice, no ten times as hard for you."

"You're so sweet," she replied, "Kyle, I feel happier everyday that someone like you became my hero. If I had just been a good friend or a partner to that person, he or she wouldn't have been able to pull me into this timeline. It was your pure heart that saved me, a pure heart filled with love."

Kyle pulled her even closer, till she was leaning her head against his left shoulder. Reala closed her eyes as she savored that sensation. Just then, she felt him put his right hand on top of both of hers, and lay the three upon his lap. As his head leaned onto hers gently, she knew he was savoring that moment of peace. The wind gently blew throughout the yard, comforting the two of them as they sat.

"You saved me from my destiny, and for that I'm grateful," whispered Reala.

Kyle told her, "And I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Anything to feel this peace as I sit here next to you. Just as my parents always showed, love is the greatest feeling in the world. From what history told me, my mother was a tomboy who never wanted to settle down. Then, she and Dad met during the war and they fell in love. Now, she's almost a lady at times; though you did get to see her get mad and revert back to her old self. And she learned how to cook just to make her family happy."

Reala smiled. "Love seems to change us all for the better. I used to think that I had to shoulder my burdens alone. But thanks to you, I realized that working together with others is the greatest thing in the world, and the best way to accomplish something."

"And it's a lot more fun together," added Kyle, "Because when things go wrong we can cry together, or laugh to cheer one another up. And in happy times, we can enjoy ourselves and have fun."

They continued to sit in the same position, just leaning against one another in peace. Eventually, Kyle got up and pulled Reala into his lap. Then, he placed a kiss right on her lips. Slowly and gently, the former Holy Maiden began to deepen it, enjoying the sensation of his sweet lips.

Kyle held her gently around the midsection, happy to have her close to him. Though he knew what she said about the alternate timeline was true, he couldn't remember it. So she probably knew things about their relationship that he didn't. The youth planned to ask her later about what they'd done together, and maybe he would bring her back to those places to see for himself.

They were so deep in their kissing, that they didn't notice the two figures watching from the bushes. One was a strange, blue creature that looked to be a hybrid between a few different types of dogs as well as a cat. The other was a girl of about nine with long black hair in a ponytail and violet eyes, wearing a long blue night gown. Said girl was also carrying a pair of binoculars, using them to stare.

"Just keep quiet, Sakura. We're going to see Oniichan and how much he does care about that girl. It looks like they're pretty close, yet they only just met," she whispered.

The creature let out a low whine, sounding like "Cooooooooooon," but it wasn't loud enough to alert the lovers on the bench. Both she and her master watched intently as Kyle and Reala finished up kissing, and he led her back inside to get ready for bed.

The girl muttered, "Let's go inside too. Mom will kill me if I'm not asleep and doubly if she finds out I was spying on those two. But I want to know…I need to see if she'll treat Oniichan right!"

S...S

Kyle awoke the next morning to the sound of a ladle banging on a pot lid, and his mother screaming out, "Shisha no Mezame!" He jolted out of bed, and saw both Rutee and Reala standing in the room. Also, the sun was shining down brightly; it was definitely past ten.

Rutee turned to the younger girl. "Aileron boys have a tendency to oversleep, no matter how early they go to bed. To get ahead in any relationship, you'll need to A) have the patience to deal with that habit, and B) know this secret technique for waking up your lover. I learned it from my sister-in-law, Lilith, when Stahn first came to live with me; she stopped by for a visit one day, and told me she was going to teach me a technique for getting him up easily."

"Do you have to teach her?" inquired Kyle, "It hurts enough when you do it. I thought when I got old enough to move out, I wouldn't be subjected to this torture."

"Sorry, Kyle. But I don't want you giving Reala a hard time in the morning," said Rutee.

Kyle informed her, "I won't, Kaasan. I'll wake up alongside my lover once we're married."

He heard his mother giggle slightly. "Your father said the exact same thing in an attempt to get out of me using this technique, and he never stopped sleeping in. Being a late sleeper is in your blood, and this is sadly the only way to wake you up."

"It's who you are," Reala added, "But I think it makes you cute. Unfortunately, it'll be bad for the both of us if you were always sleeping until noon every day."

Kyle took in the smile on her face. She seemed to think the whole thing was funny. Did she get the hang of waking him up on their journey? And did it involve his mother and aunt's incredibly painful technique? More questions he had to ask her later on.

"I'm going to get something to eat. Would you like to join me, Reala?" he asked.

The girl blushed and replied, "Yes. That would be wonderful."

He took her hand in his and began to lead her downstairs to the kitchen. The two gathered some cereal and each poured themselves a bowl. Kyle never professed to cook very well, he was better at swordsmanship, but he wanted to make something for her. So he cut up some bananas and placed them into each bowl. Then, they poured the milk and enjoyed breakfast together.

S...S

After breakfast, Kyle went outside with his father to spar. The two each grabbed a wooden sword and began practicing techniques. Though Kyle was attempting to create his own style of swordsmanship, one not using his father's abilities, he still relied on Stahn to attempt to counter his moves. If a hero from the past could be hit by his attacks when he got fancy, Kyle knew he was perfecting the attack.

As the two smacked their swords together, and Stahn kept dodging and blocking his son's special techniques, both Rutee and Reala sat on the lawn with some fruit juice. Reala blushed as she saw Kyle strike out with his sword; even though he hadn't gone on the journey and gotten stronger, she could see his body was nicely toned and his muscles were just the right size for his thin frame.

Staring at him, she felt herself getting enthralled with ease. 'It must be because his father is training him. The Kyle I knew had to do it himself since Stahn had died in that timeline. But now, he's got a stronger opponent to test his mettle against so he had to develop his body accordingly.'

"Reala?" asked Rutee, "Are you okay? Those boys can go overboard at times."

"I'm fine. I'm just admiring their techniques. Kyle is sure learning well from his father. They must really care about each other a lot," she replied.

Rutee informed her, "Yes…they do. Kyle looks up to his father greatly, just like most boys do. I think he and Emilia were the best things that ever happened to either of us. Our kids have only brought the two of us closer…and filled the wounds in our own hearts."

Reala looked at her. "What wounds? You two seemed perfectly happy together."

"It's nothing Stahn or I did," Rutee confessed, "But we're both orphans. He lost his parents young and was raised by his grandfather. I lost my parents young but had no relatives to look after me. This orphanage has been my home since I was small. When Kyle was born, he was the first blood relative I'd been able to live with and care for in eighteen years. There's just something about the bond between parents and children…you'll see in time."

"I bet I will. One day when Kyle and I are married," whispered an embarrassed Reala.

At that moment, the boys stopped fighting and returned to sit with their beloveds. Rutee poured each of them a glass of juice, and the four leaned against the building and relaxed. Reala felt Kyle's arm pull around her again, and Stahn did the same to Rutee.

Kyle said, "This hits the spot. Mmmmmmm…I feel so good after all that training."

Reala smiled at him. "Yes. You looked good out there. It seems your technique is slowly improving. Perhaps you'll be able to defeat your father in combat some day."

"Well, I did beat him once," he told her, "But we were just sparring, no techniques. And it was only after many tries to do so. Though I still don't think I could best my father if I went back in time to his younger days, during the war; that was when he was in his prime."

"Are you saying that I'm old?" inquired Stahn.

Kyle replied, "No. It's just that back then you were fighting enemies practically every day. Now, you spend your days running after kids, only lifting a weapon if someone wants to take lessons or if the occasional bandit appears in town and you and Mom are called up by the Watch. And I'm not even going to count Dymlos into the equation; even if I dueled the younger you with wooden swords or light blades, you'd still win hands down."

Stahn put a hand on his son's shoulder. "Kyle, that's why you train and practice. One day, perhaps you'll fully surpass me. With the monsters gone, there really aren't as many opportunities to test your mettle as there were when I was younger. But your determination to your goals can overcome that, and you'll continue to grow stronger."

"Thanks, Tousan," whispered Kyle, "You're the best father I could ever have asked for."

Reala couldn't help but smile as Stahn enveloped his son in a big hug. She could see the warmth between him and his parents, and felt jealous somewhat. As a former Holy Maiden, the closest thing she had to a parent was Fortuna. But it was most definitely not the warm, loving relationship that she saw Kyle have with his family; to Fortuna, Reala was simply there to fulfill her goals and when Reala decided to reject them she was told she was rejecting her very existence.

'Rutee is right. One day when Kyle and I get a little older, we'll have a family of our own. Then, I can experience this warmth. It's hard to relate to any of them: Stahn had his grandfather and sister to love him; Rutee might not have had a blood family with her but she had her faithful Swordian and the people who ran this place then; and Kyle has the two of them and his little sister as well. I know I'm too young to really start a family, but I can't wait for that day,' she mused.

S...S

A little while later, Reala was sitting and reading a book she'd brought the other day. Suddenly, she was aware of a small presence behind her on the couch. Turning back, the former Holy Maiden saw little Emilia with her shoulders leaning on the back.

The girl asked, "So…how far have you gotten with my brother? Be honest…I want to know."

Reala looked in her eyes. For some reason, she thought the girl was thinking dirty thoughts, but she was only nine. Then again, she lived in a house where Loni was often found; he could easily get that sort of stuff into a conversation she could overhear. "We kissed…nothing more."

"Oh, just kissing is it?" Emilia inquired, "You haven't tried to push my brother further at all? And Loni hasn't convinced him to go about doing something?"

"We won't be even thinking about that until a few more years. Right now, he's only fifteen and I'm only sixteen. A tad young to be looking for a deeper commitment than just dating," Reala told her, her face already a bright crimson color. Emmy knew just how to embarrass a person.

Just then, Kyle came in and said, "Emilia…please leave my girlfriend alone."

The child gave him a big smile. "But I just wanted to know. I mean, you're a guy, she's a girl, you're both in love. So it's not surprising if you did something."

"I'm going to beat Loni senseless if I find out he's corrupting my little sister," muttered Kyle, "Please go play somewhere else; Reala was reading her book and I think she was happy doing just that. We can talk later, Emilia."

"Fine! You two behave yourself!" the child yelled as she ran out of the room.

Kyle whispered, "I'm sorry. Loni is probably giving her lessons on how to be perverted or something. Maybe he figures that we're onto his tricks so he'll use Emmy."

That caused Reala to giggle. "Loni will always be Loni. But I wonder if that's it."

"Well, she's wanted me to get married since she was like five," replied Kyle, "I think she wants an older sister or something. Sure, Mom's good for girl talk, but it's a lot easier to have certain conversations with a sibling than a parent. Since I've thought of Loni as a big brother, I was easily able to talk to him about things that I couldn't mention to Dad. Emmy never took to the other girls that easily because she's such a tomboy. They say she's a lot like Mom when she was younger."

"Even if we're not going to be married right away, I still can be here if Emilia wants to talk. After all, I'm her future sister-in-law," Reala stated.

That remark made Kyle blush. Sure, they were in love and knew in their hearts they'd eventually marry, but to give Reala a title like that made it seem so…final. However, he was happy that she wanted to be there for his little sister; he knew some of the kids who used to be in the orphanage got into trouble when they couldn't deal with the sibling of their beloved, or said beloved couldn't deal with any sibling they might have had, either by blood or like Kyle and Loni.

Kyle said, "Thanks. Maybe she'll calm down a little now. I love my sister dearly, but she can be annoying at times; when I want to do something, she follows me around. However, I just follow Mom's advice and do things with her sometimes so she also understands when I want time to myself. Though I don't know how she thought up advice without a blood sibling of her own; I just assume it's because Kaasan wants us to spend time together since she never was able to do something like that."

His beloved snuggled closer to him. "Well, you're a great big brother to Emilia. It's nice to see you with a blood sibling; in the alternate timeline, she didn't exist due to your father's death. And I can tell things are much happier around the house with Stahn alive and a second child in the family. Since my boyfriend is happy, I'm happy."

"Thanks," Kyle replied, "You're such a sweet girl. I was wondering…how was our relationship in the altered timeline? I know it had to be strong, since I called you here with my heart, but I'd love to know what types of things we did besides rescue Time."

"Well…there were several dates. As much as we could do considering the circumstances, but we still were able to spend some time alone," confessed Reala.

Kyle asked, "What kinds of dates?

Reala looked into his eyes, filled with peace. "After meeting Garr in Heidelberg for the first time, you were upset by something one of our allies said and ran off. I followed you, and we ended up in the park to spend a little time together. Later on, we returned to that park after coming back from our time traveling. Of course, both times we were interrupted by the enemy in some way. And, the night before we left for the final battle, we went to the Ruins of Laguna, the room where we first met, and comforted one another about what might be in the future. You were always there for me…it made me so happy."

"It sounded like you were there for me, too," Kyle added, "If you comforted me when I got upset."

"I'd do it again, too. You'll always be worth it," whispered Reala.

S...S

The next day, the two were sitting outside and watching the kids. Kyle was resisting his every urge to keep looking at Reala and ignore the orphans. He eventually planted a gentle kiss on her lips. Of course, the children were then laughing at the two of them for what they called "mushy stuff!"

Kyle told them, "If you don't like it, then don't pay attention. Reala and I are old enough for this."

A little boy laughed. "But…girls have cooties; why would you want to kiss one?"

"No we don't!" yelled a girl, "It's little boys that have the cooties. Though I think Kyle-niichan is the exception; he's polite and caring unlike most boys."

"Neither boys nor girls have cooties. That's just an old joke told on playgrounds. Reala certainly isn't infected with any diseases, nor am I. And, we're also in love with one another," Kyle retorted.

Another boy called, "Love is for sissies! I thought you were stronger than that."

But Kyle just shook his head. "You won't understand for a few more years, but love is the most beautiful thing in the world. You'll want to be with that person forever; neither of you will ever be lonely again. Both of you will be able to walk hand in hand together to protect one another from harm. And you'll work together to solve all your problems as well as life's issues. My parents are in love…and I would hardly call either of them weak. In fact, you're stronger with love than without it."

"Really?" the kid asked, "You can get that kind of strength from another person?"

"Yes. I know that if I'm in trouble, and I don't feel I'm strong enough, all it'll take is a few words of encouragement from Kyle. Then, I can reach deep down in my soul to find the power to complete my task. And, if it is too strong for me alone, I can always rely on his help," Reala added.

Kyle informed the kids, "Being able to ask for help, especially from someone you love, takes courage and strength in itself. No person can face the world alone; without people to care about you there is practically no meaning left in life."

The children seemed to get the message and ran off to play. But just then, a strange feeling of recognition flashed through Kyle's brain. Where had he seen someone who was that alone before? And did said person find people to care about? Was it from their journey?

Reala seemed to know just what was going on and who he was thinking about. "I think traveling with us made Judas feel complete. Before we met him, he was without a friend in the world. However, you were a good friend and allowed him to become close to you. I'm sure your kindness will still be with him, even though we're all apart."

"I don't remember," whispered Kyle, "The name is familiar, however I don't know the situation."

"It wouldn't do any good to tell his whole story; you earlier asked me not to tell you too much about people we'll never see again. Just know that you helped him so much and I know he's grateful. For in the end, he had someone to call a friend," she told him.

Kyle let the subject drop; he could tell just by looking at her that if he knew it would only hurt more. However, it was nice to realize he'd saved someone from that fate. It was never good to be alone.

Then Reala said, "And you saved me, too. I was alone before you came along and thought I had to shoulder all my burdens alone. You were the support I needed; I probably wouldn't have had the courage to sacrifice myself for humanity if it wasn't for my love for you and desire for your happiness."

Kyle looked deep into her eyes. "I don't know how I could have ever been happy without you."

"But you would probably be dead," she replied, "And not only that, your parents and the other heroes, and quite possibly Loni. You my not have been as happy if we were apart and you could still remember the past, but you would have been happier than dying for nothing or living under Fortuna's society. And…I knew your memories would be wiped if the timeline reset so if nothing you would never have known me. It's sad…but sometimes you have to be sad in one regard in order to be happy."

"It all worked out for the best, though. Because now we're together," he told her.

She replied, "Yes…and nobody will be able to keep us apart anymore."

- - - -

**Teefa's Last Words...**

Heh, a lot of fluff in this fic. And some StahnxRutee as well, just cuz it's hard to have Kyle and Reala at home without including the parents in at least one scene. We also added in the scenes with Emmy just cuz she's good for those little moments of torment; it's got to be a sibling thing, or at least a little sister thing, since we had Lilith acting like a very similar but more mature version of that in "City Girl, Country Boy."

This was written in honor of Gyppy's birthday…hope you have a good one.


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